degree, now even a graduate degree. The number of unemployment in the United States is very high, however it is significantly higher for those without a college education. Unemployment in the United States in 2014 is approximately 4.5% for those with a college degree and 12.5% for those without a high school diploma. These consequences can be averted if only we aren't taught in our youth that we can't do something. If instead children in schools are taught the curricula that is needed to accomplish these so-called impossible tasks, then there would be more students graduating high school. There would be more people interested in pursuing post-secondary education. It would help even more if education is taught on the basis of learning and intelligence, not one's race. Effort optimism would not be relevant if all students are taught equally and there was no divide between majority and minority students in schools. See also Learned helplessness Notes Books Jim Crow's Children: The Broken Promise of the Brown Decision - Peter H. Irons Motivation Positive psychology